Hamilton is an ambitious, innovative city that has everything entrepreneurs, start-ups, and accelerating and pivoting established companies need in infrastructure, real estate, resources, business networks and talent to drive growth and success.
Hamilton has undergone a tremendous shift over past 20 years from making things in factories to innovative creation. Advanced manufacturing is still a critical sector in the Hamilton economy, led by ArcelorMittal Dofasco, one of the most cutting-edge steel mills in the world.
Thanks to the federal government’s investment in advanced manufacturing in Hamilton as part of the Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster, Hamilton’s success in the sector will only intensify.
Hamilton’s long-time strength in life sciences and healthcare, led by Hamilton Health Sciences, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, McMaster University, and Mohawk College, is powering a tremendous network of world- class hubs of research and innovation.
They include: the Hamilton Health Sciences Innovation Exchange, in partnership with IBM, aimed at improving the delivery of healthcare through technology; and Synapse, a life sciences consortium of Hamilton’s key institutions.
McMaster Innovation Park has been an amazing success, led by cutting- edge research at the McMaster Automotive Resource Centre, one of Canada’s leading research facilities in electric and hybrid vehicles, and the globally renowned Fraunhofer Project Centre for Biomedical Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing at McMaster University, which enables academic and industry partners to commercialize their ideas.
The list of assets for businesses in Hamilton is long and growing. Mohawk College is an invaluable partner to many companies large and small that benefit from its research, state-of-the-art facilities and workforce training and development.
Hamilton has a terri c hub in Innovation Factory that has boosted the launch and acceleration of hundreds of companies and the local Angel One Network is one of the most active angel investment groups in Canada.
Hamilton was named this year among the Top 7 Intelligent Communities in the world for its progress in building a digital economy that benefits everyone.
The City of Hamilton’s Open for Business initiative streamlines the development and business approvals processes, and its year economic development action plan is aimed at supporting thriving entrepreneurship and innovation, making strategic infrastructure investments to power economic growth, and building the best workforce in Ontario.
The economic momentum of Hamilton is undeniable, with more than $1 billion in building permit values six years running, strong job growth and a rapidly falling industrial vacancy rate. Thanks to key investments and a strategic economic development approach, Hamilton is the most diversified economy in Canada.
The City is committed to maintaining that forward motion, setting ambitious targets to deepen and broaden its innovation-powered economy.
Hamilton may not yet have the reputation of being a tech city but it should. And newcomers soon discover that Hamilton is the perfect size for them to play a role in shaping the city’s ongoing transformation.
Glen Norton, Director of Economic Development, City of Hamilton
